The exhibition “Vasil Zahariev. 130th Anniversary of the Artist’s Birth” has a retrospective character and presents a significant part of the preserved works of the author. It is the result of a partnership between the Sofia City Art Gallery, the History Museum – Samokov, and the State Archives Agency. Today, 130 years after Vasil Zahariev’s birth, as we examine his artworks, teaching career, scholarly writings, and rich archival materials – seeking to place them within the context of his time – our understanding of his place in Bulgaria’s artistic life becomes clearer. The contours of his contribution to the development of Bulgarian art take on sharper definition, and we can now fully appreciate the significance of his work in its own era. The artist is deeply engaged in the artistic life of Bulgaria between the two World Wars and participates in a wide range of exhibitions of Bulgarian art abroad. After the mid-20th century, his interests shift primarily to the study of Bulgarian art from the pre-Liberation period. The exhibition is arranged chronologically, tracing the artist’s creative development from the early 1910s through the mid-20th century. The study of Zahariev’s life and work seeks to present a balanced view of his artistic development, bringing attention not only to the well-known graphic works of the 1920s and 1930s, but also to his less explored paintings, watercolors, drawings, decorative projects, and early works. Any comprehensive presentation of Vasil Zahariev’s work must also take into account his role as a teacher, scholar, and public figure, as well as the historical context in which he lives and works. Zahariev’s contribution to the development of printmaking in Bulgaria has long been well recognized. Yet if we look beyond the graphic image, we see a body of work that is diverse yet steadily evolving, built from start to finish with remarkable persistence and consistency, with the depth of a researcher studying antiquities and seeking the immediacy of pre-academic artistic language, with a distinct sense of purpose, and above all with the clear awareness that he carries within himself the spirit of an entire era of Bulgarian art.

The exhibition brings together works from the Sofia City Art Gallery, the History Museum – Samokov, the Central State Archives, the National Gallery, the Museum Collection of the National Academy of Art, the City Art Gallery – Plovdiv, the Dimitar Dobrovich Art Gallery – Sliven, the Art Gallery – Stara Zagora, the Regional History Museum – Blagoevgrad, as well as from private collections.

Curator: Lyuben Domozetski